


A Different Warbler

by cazmalfoy



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Kiss, Forced kisses, Good Guy Sebastian, Homophobic Language, M/M, Unrequited Kurt Hummel/David Karofsky, kurtbastian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-25 22:35:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7549903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazmalfoy/pseuds/cazmalfoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Kurt agreed to go undercover at Dalton Academy to spy on the Warblers, he'd never expected to bump into Sebastian Smythe.</p><p>Then Karofsky makes his move, and Kurt finds himself in need of a friend more than ever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Different Warbler

**Author's Note:**

> This is my take on what would have happened if Kurt had met Sebastian that day on the stairs instead of Blaine.
> 
> I have tagged this as non-con purely for the fact that Karofsky kisses Kurt against his will. Nothing happens between the two of them that we didn't see on screen.
> 
> *** WARNING ***
> 
> This contains references to past bullying, anorexia and death caused by this. While neither happened to Sebastian or Kurt, this is mentioned and is a driving factor in Sebastian's actions. If this bothers you, please feel free to skip his explanation - which takes place closer to the end, and lasts for a couple of paragraphs.

Sneaking into Dalton was far easier than Kurt had expected it to be. Sure, he’d gone to the trouble of wearing as close to the Dalton blazer as he owned, but he hadn’t expected to get halfway into the school before even one student noticed him.

Standing at the bottom of the world’s fanciest staircase, was a teenager a few inches taller than Kurt (not including his CW hair, which must have added at least another two inches). He was… pretty. That was a good word. If there was ever someone who deserved to be called pretty, it was this boy, who was currently regarding Kurt with curious green eyes.

“Sorry, Princess,” the other teenager said when he saw that Kurt was watching him. “The girl’s school is down the road.”

Kurt’s eyes narrowed as he glared at him. Even though the words were probably supposed to be mean, and they definitely weren’t the first time he had heard something similar, there was nothing in the other teenager’s tone that sounded even slightly malicious. Mostly he sounded intrigued and amused at Kurt’s presence.

“What’s going on?” he asked, nodding to the students around them. Almost as though there had been some kind of signal that Kurt had missed, the other boys had started moving as one - heading through the halls with a purpose Kurt couldn’t figure out.

A smirk graced the other’s face. “The Warblers are performing,” he said simply as though it explained everything.

Kurt had to fight to not grin widely. The Warblers. Their competition. They were exactly who he had come to see. Not that looking at the teenager at the bottom of the stairs was exactly a hardship, he thought to himself. “Where?” he asked, trying to not sound too eager.

“I’ll take you there,” the other teenager offered, before adding a little caveat on the end, “if you tell me your name.”

The McKinley High student paused for a second, wondering what he should do. Did he really want to tell the other teenager his name? If word got back to Mr Schue that he had been snooping around Dalton, he would be in trouble for sure. Besides, Kurt reasoned; he was pretty sure he would find the Warblers if he followed the crowd.

But then he wouldn’t find out the other boy’s name, he reasoned with himself.

“Kurt,” he stated. He didn’t offer his surname; that was information the other definitely didn’t need to know. First names would work.

A smile replaced the smirk on the other’s face, and he stood up one step, holding his right out to Kurt. “Sebastian,” he repaid the favour in kind.

Kurt smiled and placed his hand in Sebastian’s, shaking it firmly.

He let out a startled yelp when Sebastian tugged him gently, pulling him down the stairs. “Come on,” Sebastian instructed, not letting go of Kurt’s hand as he headed down the corridor. “You wanted to see the Warblers, and Wes’ll kill me if I’m late again.”

Kurt barely had time to register the words and wonder what they meant, before Sebastian pushed a pair of dark oak doors open and stepped into the room.

It was some form of common room - far fancier than anywhere the New Directions would ever perform - and was filled to bursting with teenage boys, all of whom were wearing the familiar Dalton Blazer.

Kurt was suddenly very aware of how underdressed he was. “I feel underdressed,” he murmured, talking more to himself than Sebastian.

Sebastian threw him a smirk over his shoulder, finally letting go of his hand now they had reached their destination. “Next time, try a little harder to blend in, gay face,” he retorted.

Just like before, Kurt was sure he should be insulted by the words coming out of Sebastian’s mouth - he’d definitely been called ‘gay face’ more than once before and it had always been hurtful - but there was something about the way he spoke the words and the look on his face that made Kurt feel nothing more than amused exasperation toward the other teenager.

Without another word, Sebastian turned on his heel and headed over to a group of boys. How they stood out in a sea of identically dressed teenage boys, Kurt had no idea, but they managed it.

He watched as Sebastian leant close to them, whispering something they clearly weren’t happy about, before Sebastian turned around to face the rest of the room - or more accurately Kurt, since that’s where his eyes were glued.

Kurt jumped a little in surprise when the boys Sebastian had been speaking to started harmonising. That was how they had managed to stand out. They were the Dalton Academy Warblers.

Sebastian smirked, obviously knowing that Kurt had just realised who they were, before he took a small step forward and opened his mouth.

“ _ Friday night boys and the PBR _ ,” Sebastian began and Kurt felt his eyes widen. He didn’t know the song - it wasn’t really his style - but boy, could Sebastian pull it off. He would never have expected the Dalton students to try something so… metal.

The New Directions were screwed.

“ _ Chasing Jack, getting wrecked in small town bars _ ,” Sebastian continued, his eyes never leaving Kurt. The boys around him seemed to be getting into this performance - no matter how different from usual it must have been - but Kurt didn’t move. He felt glued to the spot.

Surely it shouldn’t feel like Sebastian was singing just for him. Right?

“ _ Big city roller in NYC. You’re a sharp dressed man just like ZZ _ .”

Sebastian, getting more into the song now, finally tore his eyes away from Kurt as he began moving through the crowd. After every other word, he would pause and have a chuckle with a student he knew. But, after every small flirt, his eyes returned to Kurt, before moving away again.

“ _ Harley riding biker in a leather jacket _ .” Kurt swallowed hard when Sebastian teasingly ran a hand over the leather arm of the couch, his green eyes locked with Kurt’s the entire time. “ _ Like riding bitch. You’re sitting on the back, yeah _ .”

“ _ Pretty boys at the university, watching them walk in their Levi jeans _ .” Sebastian turned his back to Kurt and glanced over his shoulder, before bending over seductively and throwing a wink in his direction.

“ _ I can’t help but fall _ ,” he sang, finally moving closer to Kurt instead of further away. “ _ God bless em all _ .”

Sebastian was so close now that Kurt could smell his cologne. Wow, he thought to himself, he even smelt rich. “ _ American boys _ ,” Sebastian crooned. “ _ Gotta love ‘em, gotta need ‘em, gotta want ‘em _ .”

He winked at Kurt before turning away and heading back into the crowd of people. “ _ They’re my drug of choice. American boys. Wanna slay ‘em, wanna lay ‘em. Wanna play ‘em _ .”

Kurt swallowed thickly. He’d seen enough. He couldn’t stay here. Not with Sebastian singing that song to him - because that’s what the Warbler was doing. He’d figured Kurt wasn’t really a student at Dalton and was trying to psych him out.

Well, it was working.

***

The following day, Kurt liked to think that he had completely forgotten all about his little trip to Dalton, but he would be lying, even to himself.

Ever since he’d left the private school, all he’d been able to think about was Dalton. And it wasn’t just the school - although it was an  _ amazing  _ school. Kurt hadn’t been able to get Sebastian out of his mind.

It didn’t help that when he’d woken that morning with an erection, he realised he had been dreaming about him and Sebastian on a Harley Davidson.

It was the song’s fault really.

Kurt was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn’t realise that Dave Karofsky was heading in his direction until it was too late. The slam of his back against the locker didn’t hurt any more than it usually did, but with how strung out Kurt felt and how conflicted about his attraction to the enemy, he just snapped.

“Hey!” he yelled after Karofsky, but he was ignored. Well, that was tough, because he was done being afraid and he was sick of being pushed around. He was going to give Karofsky a piece of his mind. Whether it was a smart move, or not.

Storming into the locker room, Kurt headed straight for Karofsky. “I’m talking to you!” he snarled. Thankfully the locker room was empty. Otherwise he would have been beat up for sure.

“The girl’s locker room’s next door,” Karofsky sniped, looking immediately proud with himself for coming up with such an original insult.

Kurt ignored him. “What the hell is your problem? What are you so afraid of that you feel the need to target me every minute of every day?”

Karofsky smirked, although there was something there that Kurt couldn’t quite put his finger on. “Besides you sneaking in here to peek at my junk?” he quipped.

Light eyes rolled and Kurt shook his head, trying to ignore how sick that mental image made him feel. “Every straight guy’s nightmare. All us gays are secretly out to molest and convert you. Well, guess what, Hammerhawk. You’re not my type.”

If he were being honest, Kurt wasn’t sure he had a type. Or at least, if he did, he’d never thought about it. Mostly he just liked pretty boys. He tried to ignore that his brain conjured up an image of Sebastian when he thought about that.

“Oh yeah?” Karofsky retorted, sounding like he was losing a little of the fight that had been in him previously.

Kurt knew he should stop. He should probably just walk away from Karofsky and pretend this conversation never happened. But he couldn’t. Years of pent up anger and frustration were finally boiling over and there was no stopping the words coming out of his mouth.

“I don’t like chubby boys who sweat too much and are gonna be bald by the time they’re thirty.”

“Don’t push me, Hummel,” Karofsky warned, the fingers of his right hand curling into a fist.

Instead of backing down, Kurt stood his ground and lifted his head up. He wasn’t sure when he had become so brave, but this was apparently happening. “Do it,” he challenged, even though his brain was telling him to stop. “Hit me, ‘cause it’s not going to make me change. You can’t punch the gay out of me, anymore than I can push the ignoramus out of you. You’re just a scared little boy, who…”

The rest of his sentence was swallowed by Karofsky, whose mouth was suddenly covering his in a bruising kiss.

Reflexes kicking in, Kurt shoved Karofsky back a step. Karofsky, for a second, looked horrified at what he had just done, before he moved in for another kiss.

“No,” Kurt said, his voice sounding weak and small as he took a step back. “Stay away from me.”

***

Kurt ran. He didn’t know where he was going, or even how long he had been running for. All he knew was that he needed to get away from McKinley.

He had never skipped classes before. He’d never seen a reason too. Kurt enjoyed learning and he was safest from the bullies in the classroom.

But he couldn’t stay there. Couldn’t face the rest of his class mates and have them wonder what was wrong with him.

No, he needed time to figure out what had happened on his own.

After a journey on a bus he didn’t even know the destination of, Kurt climbed off and looked up at the building his subconscious had apparently headed straight for.

Dalton Academy.

Honestly, he wasn’t surprised that his mind had automatically led him back to the building. As soon as he had stepped foot in the building the day before, Kurt had felt like he’d finally found somewhere he belonged.

But he couldn’t go inside, not again. Sneaking in and not getting caught by a teacher was a fluke the first time it happened. There was no way he’d manage to do it again.

Instead, he slipped around the back of the building, trying to convince himself he was just wandering. In reality, he was looking for the sports field. In movies, sitting on the bleachers, watching the jocks practice always made the heroine feel empowered. That was what Kurt was looking for.

Only when he reached said bleachers, did he remember that Karofsky played football, and the pitch was obviously going to remind him of what happened.

Kurt was about to get up and head back to Lima when he glanced down at the pitch. There were a small group of teenagers, wearing Dalton jerseys and carrying sticks in their hands.

Of course a fancy school like Dalton wouldn’t lower themselves to play football. They played Lacrosse.

Deciding that maybe he should stay for a while - Kurt had never seen Lacrosse played, he tried to convince himself - Kurt sat back on the bleachers.

One of the players, Smythe according to the back of his jersey, yelled something at another player, before lobbing a ball across the field with more force than Kurt would have ever thought possible.

A player next to Smythe glanced back at the bleachers, finally spotting Kurt, before leaning closer to the other teenager.

Busted, Kurt had chance to think to himself, before Smythe turned around and he finally got a good look at the Lacrosse player for the first time.

It was Sebastian.

Kurt swallowed nervously and waved shyly at Sebastian. From such a distance it was impossible to tell if the other teenager smiled or smirked when he saw Kurt. Either way, it was a welcome change from how Karofsky had been looking at him earlier.

Abandoning his teammates and their practice, Sebastian dumped his Lacrosse stick near the rest of the equipment and jogged closer. As Sebastian gracefully climbed over the bleachers, getting closer to Kurt, it was easier to tell that it was a smirk he was wearing.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you again, Princess,” Sebastian greeted as soon as he was close enough to not need to shout.

Kurt rolled his eyes. Again, the only thing he felt at the nickname was amused exasperation. “I  _ thought _ I was coming to see a football game,” Kurt replied, nodding to the field behind Sebastian. “But all I see is a bunch of preppy boys waving sticks around.”

Sebastian mock-gasped and put a hand on his heart. “Watch yourself, Kurt. Lacrosse is an art form. Nothing like football, which you Americans insist on calling a sport.” Kurt raised an eyebrow at his last comment, and he tacked on the end, “I’m French, even though I don’t sound it.”

“Ah,” Kurt murmured, suddenly feeling distracted. All this talk of football was making him remember why he had run away from Lima in the first place.

Sebastian was clearly more perceptive than Kurt gave him credit for. He recognised when the other teenager’s attention had drifted immediately. “Are you okay?” he asked, making Kurt wonder how he could be so concerned for someone he had literally just met the day before.

Kurt nodded, trying to plaster a smile on his face, but even he knew it didn’t quite reach his eyes, and was nowhere near convincing.

Sebastian frowned deeply and sat down on the bleachers next to Kurt. “Wanna try that again, Princess?” he pressed. “Come on, once more with feeling.” He elbows Kurt lightly in the ribs, trying to coax a response from the teenager.

For Kurt it felt as though that elbow, even though it was gentle and barely there, broke down the resistance Kurt had been trying to put up since leaving McKinley. Before he knew it, he was opening his mouth and spilling details about everything that had happened to Sebastian.

Kurt knew he should stop talking. Sebastian was a stranger. All he knew about him was his name, the fact that he attended Dalton, played Lacrosse and could sing. That shouldn’t be enough of a basis for him to spill everything he was feeling. But yet, here Kurt was.

“I didn’t know where I was going, but I ended up here,” Kurt finally finished, taking in a deep gasping breath as he stopped talking. Angrily he swiped at the tears on his cheeks; he didn’t want to cry because of Karofsky. He had the mindset that if they made him cry, it meant the bullies had won. And that was a victory Kurt had no intention in giving them.

“I’m sorry,” he apologised, not looking at Sebastian. “I shouldn’t have burdened you with any of that. You don’t even know me, and I…”

He trailed off when he felt Sebastian place a hand on his arm. Looking up in alarm - Kurt didn’t know what he was going to do, but he was alarmed nevertheless - Kurt was surprised to see pure hatred on Sebastian’s face.

Hatred that wasn’t aimed at him. It was aimed at Karofsky.

Instead of commenting on what Kurt had told him, Sebastian said, “Kurt Hummel. Junior at William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio.” Kurt’s eyes widened in surprise, but Sebastian wasn’t finished. “Countertenor for the New Directions glee club. You have a pretty good voice, Princess.”

Kurt couldn’t help the blush that coloured his cheek at the compliment. “How do you know all that?” he asked softly. He knew for a fact that he hadn’t told Sebastian his surname, and he definitely hadn’t advertised that he went to McKinley.

Sebastian smirked, which Kurt was beginning to realise was his default setting. “I recognised you as soon as we met on the stairs, Princess.” Kurt frowned. “The beauty of YouTube; everything you do is on the internet forever. As soon as we found out who our competition was, I went searching for videos and found a few with you in.”

“Oh,” Kurt murmured, feeling suddenly foolish. He hadn’t even thought that Sebastian could look him up on the internet. “I should probably go,” he murmured.

A frown wrinkled the other teenager’s forehead. “Why?” he asked. “I’m pretty sure you’ve only just gotten here.”

“Well, yeah,” Kurt agreed, his fingers idly fiddling with the strap of his bag. “But if the rest of the Warblers find out that you’re hanging around with the enemy, won’t they be pissed?” He knew the New Directions weren’t going to be happy when they found out that Kurt had spent the afternoon at Dalton with Sebastian.

Sebastian scoffed and waved his hand. “Screw the Warblers,” he said. “I’m going to be the head of them next year,” he sounded so confident, Kurt thought, “they know better than to mess with me.” He paused, a sad smile gracing his face as he looked over at Kurt. “Besides, you look like you need a friend right now.”

A friend. Kurt had never really thought about needing a friend. Sure he had the rest of the New Directions, but he wasn’t sure how many of them would class him as a friend if they didn’t need him to make up the numbers for glee club.

Finn was more like a brother than a friend, so Kurt didn’t count him.

Maybe Sebastian was right. Maybe he did need a friend. Someone who wouldn’t judge him for something Karofsky had done, and who wouldn’t make him do something he didn’t want to. Like report Karofsky and out him.

Sebastian, obviously bored of the silence that followed his announcement that Kurt was now his friend, got to his feet. “Come on,” he stated, holding his hand out to Kurt. “I need a shower and you’re going to need a change of clothes if you want to get away with spending the evening here.”

Kurt frowned and placed his hand in Sebastian’s. “Won’t the teachers realise I’m not a student here?” he asked, allowing the other teenager to lead him down from the bleachers.

Sebastian laughed and shook his head. “As long as you’re wearing a Dalton blazer, they’ll just assume you go here. I’m pretty sure they think most teenage boys in a blazer look the same after a while.”

Joining in with the other’s chuckling, Kurt reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He needed to text his dad to let him know that he would be out for the rest of the evening, and to not worry.

“You can stay the night as well, you know?” Sebastian offered, earning a surprised look from Kurt. “I have my own room. As long as you hide when they patrol before lights out, it won’t be a problem. I have a couch in my room I can take,” he added, correctly interpreting the look on Kurt’s face.

The last thing he wanted to do after being forcibly kiss was sleep in a bed with another boy. Spending the night at Dalton did sound appealing, Kurt thought to himself, opening up a text to his dad. And it would allow him to clear his head a little before he had to face what had happened at McKinley.

“Okay,” he whispered, finally looking back up at Sebastian. “Thanks.”

Sebastian grinned at him and waved a hand. “It’s not a problem,” he insisted. “Buy me coffee from the Lima Bean in the morning and I’ll even drive you to school.”

Kurt laughed in surprise at the bargain and nodded his head. “Deal,” he agreed, finishing his text and following Sebastian through the school. As they walked, Kurt couldn’t help wondering what he was getting himself into.

It had been a very surreal day indeed.

***

Facing school the next day was as hard as Kurt had expected it to be. The only thing that made it better was the knowledge that Sebastian had sworn to pick him up if anyone even looked at him wrong.

Burt hadn’t asked too many questions about who Kurt had spent the night with - he had used Mercedes as his wing-woman, after dropping her a quick text. Apparently the school hadn’t called home to announce his truancy either - Burt wasn’t every good at hiding when he was angry, so Kurt knew he would have said something.

Obviously, his absence had been felt deeply, he thought sarcastically as he moved through the corridors.

In his hand, his cell beeped and he glanced down, smiling when he saw it was a text message from Sebastian.

‘ _ Maths sucks and I hate it. I’m never going to use it in the real world. _ ’

Instantly feeling better, Kurt replied, ‘ _ It’s Math. And it’s easy. You just need the right tutor _ .’

Sebastian’s reply was almost instantaneous. ‘ _ I’m French. We say maths. Well, actually we say  _ mathématiques _ , but close enough _ .’

Kurt chuckled and shook his head, remembering back to their conversation of the previous night. He couldn’t remember the last time he had stayed up most of the night, talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

‘ _ Your parents are American, Seb. You just grew up in France, remember _ ?’

As soon as he sent it, he cursed to himself, realising that he’d shortened Sebastian’s name. He hadn’t meant to do that; wasn’t even at that point in his head.

‘ _ Seb? No one’s ever called me that, before. I think I like it. _ ’ Sebastian’s reply made the nervous knot in Kurt’s stomach loosen and he let out a relieved sigh.

Kurt was about to reply when a shadow blocked out the light. Even without looking up, he knew who it was. There was only one bully in the school who liked to get in Kurt’s personal space so much.

Karofsky.

“Who have you told?” Karofsky demanded, squaring his shoulders and glaring down at Kurt.

His eyes narrowed. “No one,” he hissed, glancing around to make sure there was no one around.

He wanted as few people to know as well; the last thing he wanted was for people to know that his first kiss with a guy, had been with Dave Karofsky of all people. “I don’t believe in outing people.” It was the truth, even if it wasn’t the whole truth. No one should be forced out of the closet like that, not even someone as repulsive as Karofsky.

A relieved look washed over the other teenager’s face and for a second, Kurt actually found himself feeling sorry for Karofsky.

But that feeling vanished immediately when he said, “Good. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your faggy little mouth shut.” Kurt was about to point out the hypocrisy of his words, common sense be damned, but Karofsky cut off whatever he had been about to say. “I mean it, Hummel. If you say anything, to anyone, I will kill you.”

Without saying another word, Karofsky turned on his heel and stalked down the corridor, leaving Kurt staring after him in shock and fear.

In his hand, the feel of his cell vibrating grounded him and he glanced down. It was Sebastian. Calling him. At the exact moment Kurt needed a friend more than anything.

“Princess, what the hell is going on?” Sebastian demanded as soon as the call was answered. “I’ve text you like five times and you didn’t reply. Has something happened, I swear, Kurt…”

“Sebastian,” Kurt said, cutting through the other teenager’s rant with a sob.

Immediately, Sebastian went quiet, before he swore, “Shit, Kurt. What happened?” He paused for a beat, before adding, “Screw that. I’m on my way.”

It would take Sebastian almost two hours to get from Westerville to Lima, but Kurt sure as hell wasn’t going to hang around the school and Dave Karofsky for that amount of time. He needed to get out of there. He’d wait for Sebastian somewhere else.

After making excuses to the nurse, and insisting that he would be fine making his own way home (after swearing his dad couldn’t afford to come out of work), Kurt walked off the school grounds to the nearest mall. It wasn’t far - only fifteen minutes - and he knew it would be easy enough for Sebastian to get to, even if he wasn’t familiar with Lima.

It took Sebastian a little over an hour and half to get to the mall, and Kurt had to admit that he was pretty impressed with the other teenager. And also slightly concerned for how many speeding laws he had violated on the way there.

“Kurt!” Sebastian called, increasing his pace as he spotted Kurt sitting on a bench waiting for him. “Are you okay?”

Kurt tried to nod. He didn’t want to admit that Karofsky’s words had scared him more than anything else in his life, but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t lie to Sebastian; not after the other teenager had driven a hundred miles to be with him at the drop of a hat. Especially not when said teenager was supposed to be in class.

“Shit,” Kurt swore, jumping to his feet in alarm. “You should be in class!”

Sebastian rolled his eyes and waved his hand. “Screw that,” he insisted. “I told them I had an emergency dentist appointment I’d forgotten about.” His green eyes narrowed. “Don’t think you can change the subject like that, by the way.”

Kurt deflated a little. He hadn’t wanted to change the subject, but he also hadn’t wanted to be reminded of what he had run away from. “He threatened to kill me, Seb,” he whispered.

Sebastian’s eyes widened and the colour immediately drained out of his beautiful face. “What?” he snarled. “And you didn’t report it to the police?” he snapped.

Kurt shook his head. “I can’t,” he argued. “If I do that, I’ll have to admit what happened. I can’t out him,” he whispered.

Sebastian growled and pulled Kurt into his arms. “After everything he’s done, you’re still protecting him?” he murmured, running his hands up and down Kurt’s back.

“I know it’s stupid,” Kurt murmured, his burying his face in Sebastian’s chest. He knew he shouldn’t be, but it felt so comfortable - so natural - to be swallowed up in the other teenager’s embrace. This was what interactions between two people were supposed to be like. Not like what Karofsky had done.

When Sebastian spoke, Kurt could feel the rumble of the words in his chest. “It’s not stupid,” he argued and Kurt finally lifted his head, looking Sebastian in the eye. “Slightly insane, but completely noble. It’s exactly what I’d expect from you, Princess.”

Sebastian winced. “Sorry, Kurt,” he apologised, making the shorter man frown in confusion. He wasn’t sure what Sebastian could possibly have to apologise for. “I’ll stop calling you that. I know it’s insulting and probably reminds you of…”

Kurt cut him off with a quick, “No!” Sebastian looked at him in surprise and he blushed. “It doesn’t bother me when  _ you _ call me ‘Princess’,” he confessed, wishing his cheeks would cool down. “It makes me feel… special.”

A surprised smile spread across Sebastian’s face, before it transformed into an all out grin. “Well, you best get used to it, Princess. You’ll be hearing it a lot as soon as your transfer to Dalton goes through.”

Kurt frowned and tilted his head to the side, studying Sebastian. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

“You’re transferring to Dalton,” Sebastian said with a shrug of his shoulders as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re not going back to that hell hole. It’s not safe there. Dalton has an anti-bullying policy. Plus, a large percentage of us are gay, so you’re not going to have to worry about anything throwing homophobic slurs at you every day.”

Everything he was saying sounded amazing. Actually, Kurt corrected himself, it sounded like heaven. He had been dreaming of such a place for longer than he could remember. But there was no way he could go to Dalton. Not on what his dad and Carole made.

“Seb,” he began, hating that he was even having to say the words. “As amazing as that sounds, there’s no way I could afford even one term at Dalton, never mind the rest of the semester and next year.”

Sebastian waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it,” he ordered. “I’ll take care of it.”

Kurt’s eyes widened. Surely Sebastian couldn’t be suggesting what Kurt thought he was. “Sebastian, what have you done?” he asked warily.

“Nothing yet,” Sebastian assured him, and Kurt exhaled with relief. “But as soon as we see the headmaster, I’ll wire Dalton the money for the rest of your time in High School.”

God, the way he said it make everything sound so simple, Kurt thought. “As sweet as that gesture is,” Kurt said, stepping closer to Sebastian for reasons he wasn’t in the right headspace to think about. “You can’t do that. We’ve known each other for three days.”

Sebastian shrugged his shoulders. “It could have been three hours, and I would still do it,” he swore. When he realised that Kurt wasn’t backing down on his refusal, Sebastian sighed heavily. “Look, you have to get out of that school and I have the money, so why are we even having this discussion?”

“Because it’s  _ your _ money, Sebastian,” Kurt reminded him. “You should be saving it for college or something.”

“Please,” Sebastian muttered. “I have a completely separate college fund.” He glanced up at Kurt. “Princess, how much do you think that car cost?” he asked, nodding to the Porsche 911 Kurt had been so impressed with earlier that morning.

Because of his dad, Kurt knew more about cars that most people would expect so he knew exactly how much the car cost. “A hundred thousand dollars,” he answered. “But that’s not the point, Seb.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “That  _ is _ the point,” he corrected. “My parents bought me the car as a ‘I’m sorry for dragging you to Ohio’ present. It wasn’t even a birthday or special occasion. It was a Wednesday. Now, picture parents who are willing to do that for their only child, and imagine how much allowance they give said child.”

Kurt didn’t even want to think about it. He couldn’t even fathom how people made enough money to buy a car like that, just because they could.

“I have more money in my bank account - my personal bank account - than a teenager should ever have,” Sebastian continued. “I’m paying your tuition, and that’s the end of it.”

He wasn’t going to take no for an answer, Kurt knew that much. Something about Sebastian Smythe just screamed ‘stubborn bastard’. Unfortunately for him, Kurt was just as stubborn. Even though a very big part of him was telling him to shut up and take the money, his pride wouldn’t let him. He couldn’t rely on charity. He was going to be a star, and stars didn’t rely on charity.

“Why are you so insistent about this?” he asked, wondering what Sebastian’s real angle was. There had to be something else at play. “And don’t say it’s because you have more money than sense,” he added when Sebastian opened his mouth.

The Dalton student looked like he was going to argue some more, before he sighed heavily and his shoulders slumped. “I don’t want you getting hurt, Princess,” he whispered, lowering his eyes and looking scared for the first time in the short period Kurt had known him.

“I don’t think Karofsky would actually kill me,” Kurt said, even though he wasn’t sure how much he believe the words. He’d obviously believed that Karofsky would do something, otherwise he wouldn’t have run to Sebastian in the first place.

“That’s what everyone thinks,” Sebastian murmured sadly. “When I was a kid - maybe eight or nine - my cousin, Lara, was getting bullied as well. It wasn’t because she was gay or anything. She was ‘overweight’.” He rolled his eyes, brushing away the stray tear that had the nerve to fall from his eye. “She wasn’t overweight at all,” he insited. “All she had was a bit of puppy fat. But teenagers in Paris are just as evil as the ones in America. They convinced her that she was obese and needed to starve herself to be beautiful.”

Sebastian shook his head. “She was like a skeleton toward the end. Didn’t even look like the same person.”

Kurt drew in a gasp and wrapped his arms around Sebastian. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, even though the words didn’t feel like enough. What did you say to someone who had just told you that?

“I can’t help thinking that if she had told someone what was going on, it could have been stopped,” Sebastian continued, wrapping his arms around Kurt and holding him close. “I’m not going to let something like that happen to you, Kurt,” he swore. “If it’s the money you’re bothered about, you really don’t need to. I couldn’t spend everything that’s in that account if I tried. My parents aren’t bothered what I do with it. It’s my allowance and it keeps them out of their hair, so they couldn’t care less.”

Kurt wasn’t going to win the argument and he knew it. He was also surprised by how much he actually wanted to take what Sebastian was offering him. A life line; a chance to get out of McKinley and make a name for himself with the Warblers.

“I don’t want to be a charity case,” he mumbled, making Sebastian laugh.

“Trust me, Princess. You are as far from a charity case as possible.” He paused for a second, before continuing, “What do you want to be after college?” he asked.

Kurt frowned at the sudden change of conversation, but answered regardless. “I’ve always wanted to be a fashion designer,” he answered, not feeling self conscious about admitting his dream for the first time in his life.

He knew he could sing, but Broadway had never really been his intention. Making and designing clothes was where his passion and future lay, he knew it.

“Then, when you’re a big shot fashion designer in Milan, you can pay me back,” Sebastian said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Think of the money as an investment in the future of Kurt Hummel Designs.”

***

It took one week for Kurt’s transfer to go through.

At first Burt and Carole had been confused about why Kurt had wanted to transfer. Finn had known straight away that it had something to do with Karofsky. His brother may not be academically smart, but he was very observant to those around him.

It had taken even longer for Burt to accept that Sebastian was willing to pay for Kurt’s tuition. Sebastian had managed to win the mechanic over in one evening by being more charming that Kurt had even thought possible. He’d even reigned in the digs he liked to make at Kurt; hell, he’d only called him Princess twice during the whole day.

“Please tell me that’s it,” Sebastian begged when Kurt placed the box he was holding on the bed.

Kurt laughed and rolled his eyes. “It is,” he assured his friend.

Relief washed over Sebastian’s face. “Thank god,” he murmured. “I was starting to worry you weren’t going to get anything else in here.” He looked around the room with a forlorn expression.

“You’re the one that decided you wanted to be my roommate,” he pointed out, closing the door to the room now that they’d finished moving Kurt in.

Sebastian smirked. “Actually, I got stuck with you. Unless you want to room with Nick and Jeff.”

Over the last few days, Kurt had spent time getting used to Dalton and meeting the students that would be his classmates. Nick and Jeff were two of Sebastian’s fellow Warblers and were the most nauseatingly cute couple Kurt had ever met. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to deal with that on a daily basis.

“No, thank you,” he muttered, tearing the tape from one of the boxes. It was full of books, which explained why it was so heavy. Damn Finn for not labelling things properly. If he’d know it was books, Kurt would have made Sebastian carry it instead.

Speaking of Sebastian, Kurt thought, turning his head to the side, the other teenager had been quiet for almost a minute. Kurt hadn’t actually thought that was possible.

Sebastian was standing near his own bed, staring into space with a pensive expression on his face.

When calling his name didn’t get Sebastian’s attention, Kurt moved closer, not stopping until he was in front of him. After having a hand waved in front of his face, Sebastian slowly came back to the present and focused on Kurt. “Are you okay?” he asked when he knew he had his friend’s attention once more.

Sebastian nodded, plastering an obviously fake smile on his face. “Yeah,” he replied with false bravado. “I’m just thinking about something.”

Kurt smirked, a habit he was starting to pick up from Sebastian, he was certain. “I’m sure you’ve been warned about that. Your brain can’t cope with the usage.” When Sebastian didn’t react to his jabs, Kurt’s smirk was replaced another frown. “Seriously, Seb, what’s going on inside that head?”

“Was it your first kiss?” Sebastian asked faintly. “With Karofsky, I mean.”

Kurt exhaled shakily and slowly nodded his head. “Well,” he corrected himself. “That first one that counted.” Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “I pretended to be straight for a while, and made out with one of the cheerleaders.”

Sebastian’s eyes widened, and Kurt actually felt better to see that there was amusement shining in them. “Of all the things I expected you to say, that wasn’t even on the list,” he admitted. “You dated a cheerleader? A female one?”

Kurt laughed and buried his face in his hands, trying to ignore how much he was blushing. “It was a phase,” he tried to excuse himself.

Sebastian chuckled with him once more before turning serious again. “I hate what Karofsky did to you,” he said, the amusement disappearing as quickly as it came.

“Me too,” Kurt admitted. “But I’m here now. There’s nothing he can do to me now.”

His friend shook his head. “That’s not what I meant,” he argued. “Your first kiss is supposed to be special. It’s supposed to be with someone you care about and who cares about you just as much.” Sebastian bit his lower lip, before lifting his gaze to Kurt’s face. “Do you trust me?” he asked quietly.

“Of course,” Kurt answered, not even hesitating for a second. He knew it was odd. He’d known Sebastian for less than two weeks, but as soon as they’d laid eyes on each other, Kurt had felt a connection with the other student.

He let out a gasp of surprise when Sebastian took a small step closer. Immediately Sebastian froze, but Kurt shook his head. “It’s fine,” he whispered. “You just surprised me.” 

The uncertain look never disappeared from Sebastian’s face, but he took another step closer; this one slower and more obvious, so Kurt didn’t get scared.

Kurt knew what Sebastian was planning on doing. He may be a virgin, but he wasn’t completely naive. He knew - hoped - Sebastian was going to give him the first kiss he deserved and had been dreaming of his entire life.

He was surprisingly okay with that, and actually wished Sebastian would get a move on already.

Still moving slowly, Sebastian moved his head closer, leaning down a little so he was nearer Kurt’s height. His green eyes never shifted from Kurt’s face; watching carefully for any sign that his roommate was uncomfortable with what he was doing.

When Sebastian’s lips met his, Kurt’s eyes flickered closed of their own accord. This was what a first kiss was supposed to feel like. Sebastian felt amazing; his lips were soft, but still somehow rough enough to remind Kurt that he was kissing another boy, not a girl like Brittany.

Sebastian’s hands rested on his hips, and Kurt decided to go with what his instincts were telling him. Cautiously he placed his hands on Sebastian’s shoulders. When he buried his fingers in Sebastian’s hair and the other gasped, he figured he must be doing something right.

He felt a flickering of Sebastian’s tongue against his lips, before they pulled apart. Neither of them moved out of the other’s embrace, which Kurt was glad for. He was sure he was never going to want to leave Sebastian’s arms again.

“How was your  _ real _ first kiss?” Sebastian sounded like he had been aiming for flippancy, but to Kurt he sounded like a nervous who teenager who was worried he’d messed everything up.

Kurt smiled. “Perfect,” he whispered. “I think I need more practice though.”

For the first time in his life, Kurt Hummel initiated a kiss with another boy, and it was the best moment of his life.

***

**Author's Note:**

> The song Sebastian sings to Kurt is American Boys by Halestorm. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCk9Iv4e4Dg


End file.
